


the hogwarts anti-bullying club

by bubblylikesparklingcider



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, SO, because i'm drarry trash, technically it's drarry if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 16:53:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7061218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblylikesparklingcider/pseuds/bubblylikesparklingcider
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>as a joke, draco starts an anti-bullying club. it kinda backfires on him. thank merlin for harry potter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the hogwarts anti-bullying club

**Author's Note:**

> apparently i kinda sorta promised people i'd write this so...i'm sorry it took so long. based on a prompt that i can only find on pinterest, so idk if i should link it.

Perhaps the strangest part of “eighth year,” as it’s been dubbed, is the fact that they’re no longer dividing students by house, Draco thinks. Students can sit together as they please, supposedly in order to increase a house unity between everyone.

 

Draco doesn’t really care. Nobody really wants to sit with him, anyway, which suits him just fine.

 

Of course, the whole “unity” thing doesn’t discourage the houses from making fun of each other. (Though Draco’s noticed that it’s become more of a friendly banter, lately.) 

 

“What the hell is up with Lovegood’s hair, anyway?” The voice of a third year Slytherin breaks Draco from his thoughts and he looks up. “It’s the weirdest color I’ve ever seen.”

 

“I think it’s called platinum blonde.” Someone else chimes in.

 

“Rubbish.” The Slytherin sneers. “It’s like somebody dunked her head in bleach.”

 

Draco doesn’t notice he’s doing it until the entire table has turned to stare at him as his fingers stroke over his own platinum blonde hair.

 

“O-oh!” The Slytherin stammers out, but Draco just shakes his head and leaves the Great Hall. He’s got an idea, an absolutely brilliant idea.

 

/----/

 

The Hogwarts Anti-Bullying Club, he calls it. He has to admit, he’s proud of himself. He even makes a few buttons and wears one of them.

 

_ Hair Color Equality!  _ It reads. 

 

He takes it a step further with a sort of pamphlet called  _ Looks Don’t Matter _ because it was honestly the only title he could think of. 

 

Unfortunately, his little joke kind of backfires on him. He spreads it around the school (he even gives a button to Luna, because though he’d never admit it out loud, he really likes that girl). 

 

And then one evening, Professor McGonagall announces it in the Great Hall.

 

Draco’s life just kind of gets harder from there.

 

/----/

The problem with this stupid thing is that he almost can’t back out now. When McGonagall read aloud his pamphlet to the school (because apparently Granger gave her a copy) all sorts of trouble entered his life.

 

Now there are  _ children _ coming up to  _ him _ to talk about times they’ve been bullied. And it seems like everywhere Draco turns, Harry Potter is there, green eyes twinkling at him from behind those stupid glasses.

 

“Draco?” Draco snaps out of his thoughts and looks up at the fifth year standing in front of him. She’s a teeny little thing with big nervous eyes. Probably here to relate her tale of woe. “I just wanted to thank you for starting this club.”

 

“Don’t mention it.” Draco says weakly and she sits down next to him.

 

“I’ve been teased a lot because I’m so short.” Which Draco can see because the girl must be at least 4’10”. “But reading your pamphlet really helped me.”

 

“Good,” Draco says because he thinks that’s the appropriate reaction.

 

“I was also wondering if you’re going to have club meetings.” The girl suggests timidly. 

 

“Um….” Draco trails off. He turns his head slightly, trying to think of what to say when he sees Potter standing a short ways off, grinning. The prat. 

 

“Of course.” Draco says suddenly. Potter and his gaggle of friends probably don’t think Draco can do this. He can prove them wrong. “I just need to find a day.”

 

/----/

 

Which is how Draco ends up standing in front of a group of students in the Room of Requirement on Saturday. The Room has provided them with comfy chairs and a blazing fire. There’s even a few banners on the walls with anti-bullying messages scrawled on them. 

 

Draco stares out at the group of students and then clears his throat.

 

“Right, then.” He says and claps his hands together. “I’m assuming you’re all here because you’ve been bullied before or want to stop bullying?”

 

Everyone nods. Draco doesn’t really know what else to say. Luna’s sitting in the front of the group, smiling encouragingly at Draco, but Draco suddenly focuses on Potter. Again. And Potter’s grinning.  _ Again. _

 

“Bullying is a tragedy.” Draco says. He’s BSing his way through this entire speech. “And it needs to be stopped. How many times have you seen someone being picked on for how they look? Or for what house they’re in? Or the family they’ve come from?”

 

Which, admittedly, are all reasons Draco’s teased people before. But still.

 

There’s a chorus of agreement from the students. 

 

“It needs to stop. People don’t deserve to feel awful for things they can’t choose.” Draco says slowly. He doesn’t know what else to say. He shifts awkwardly until a voice from the back of the room speaks up.

 

“What are the requirements to join the Club?” Potter asks and Draco swallows. He hasn’t thought of that.

 

“Well….” He hesitates. “There really are no requirements.”

 

Inspiration strikes then and he keeps going, “It’s an open club for those who want to find support because they’re being bullied.”

 

“What about stopping bullying?” Potter challenges and Draco wants to hex him. He hasn’t really thought that far. He hasn’t really thought about it at all. Luna pipes up then.

 

“We could all suggest ideas to stop it.” She says. “That way it’s a group effort.”

 

Draco’s very grateful for Luna Lovegood.

 

/----/

 

Draco is the last person to leave the Room of Requirement. As soon as he steps into the hallway, though, he realizes that he isn’t alone. Potter leans against a wall, watching him.

 

“What are you still doing here, Potter?” Draco asks tiredly.

 

“I wanted to talk to you.” Potter says. He walks with Draco. “I think this is a really great thing you’re doing.”

 

“Thanks.” Draco responds flatly. 

 

“I never took you for the type.” He says. Draco looks at him confusedly. “The activist type, I mean. But you’re turning out to be a really good person, Malfoy.”

 

“I honestly don’t know what I’m doing.” Draco responds and Potter laughs.

“You seem to, except for that little challenge I presented to you at the end.” Potter says warmly. Draco shrugs. “What made you do this?”

 

“I...don’t know.” Draco says. 

 

“No, really. I think it’s great!” Potter says. “But there must be a  _ reason _ .”

 

Draco groans and just plops down on the ground. Potter looks at him strangely.

 

“You okay, Malfoy?” He asks. Draco shakes his head.

 

“This entire thing was supposed to be a joke because some Slytherins were making fun of platinum blond hair and now it’s just gone too far.” Draco says. Potter stares at him for a moment and then bursts into laughter.

 

“That makes more sense.” He says, sitting down beside Draco. They sit in silence for a few moments until Potter speaks up again. “You know, you’re still attempting to carry it on. I have to hand that to you. No matter how it started at least you’re not turning away students who come to you talking about how they’ve been bullied.”

 

Draco shrugs again. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve dug a hole that I can’t get out of.”

 

“I could...help. If you want.” Potter suggests. “I mean, I don’t know much about it, but Muggles do have good anti-bullying campaigns.”

 

“That...would be nice.” Draco responds slowly. They sit in silence again until Potter stands up.

 

“Thanks.” Draco says softly. Potter reaches out a hand to help him up.

 

“Don’t mention it.” He responds. “If I’d had something like this...never mind.”

 

“What?” Draco prods. Potter shakes his head and turns to walk away.

 

“Night, Malfoy.” He says.

 

Draco stares after him.

 

/----/

 

When Potter says he’ll help, he really means it. He corners Draco in the library one day and sits him down to talk about the club.

 

“Maybe we make posters.” He says. 

“We could have a special message.” Draco suggests. “We put it on the posters, then. And it’s something students can remember if they see someone being bullied.”

 

“Exactly.” Potter says. “We can talk about different kinds of bullying and who you should go to if you see bullying. McGonagall and the other professors are willing to help us.”

 

“Good.” Draco nods. “You know, this whole house unity thing will really help us.”

 

“Yeah.” Harry agrees. “It will.”

 

/----/

 

At the next meeting, everyone comes forward with their ideas, although they’re all mainly along the lines of what Draco and Harry (Draco doesn’t know when he became Harry) had planned.

 

“If you see someone being bullied, go to one of the professors.” Draco says to the group. “They  _ will _ help you.”

 

“Silence isn’t an option.” Harry chimes in. He’s standing in front of the group with Draco. “We can all help each other.”

 

It’s turning out pretty nicely, and Draco is starting to actually like this. Even if it was a joke, he’s glad he started it.

 

/----/

 

The Club ends up surviving even after Draco and Harry leave Hogwarts and become Healer Malfoy and Auror Potter. Draco’s glad when he visits with Harry and McGonagall tells them about how well the Club is doing and how glad she is that Draco started it.

  
And if she notices that he’s holding hands with Harry...well, she doesn’t mention it.


End file.
